Job 28: Job Speaks of Wisdom and Understanding
“People know where to mine silver and how to refine gold. They know where to dig iron from the earth and how to smelt copper from rock. They know how to shine light in the darkness and explore the farthest regions of the earth as they search in the dark for ore. They sink a mine shaft into the earth far from where anyone lives. They descend on ropes, swinging back and forth.
Food is grown on the earth above, but down below, the earth is melted as by fire. Here the rocks contain precious lapis lazuli, and the dust contains gold. These are treasures no bird of prey can see, no falcon’s eye observe. No wild animal has walked upon these treasures; no lion has ever set his paw there. People know how to tear apart flinty rocks and overturn the roots of mountains. They cut tunnels in the rocks and uncover precious stones. They dam up the trickling streams and bring to light the hidden treasures.
“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? No one knows where to find it, for it is not found among the living. ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean. ‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea. It cannot be bought with gold. It cannot be purchased with silver.
It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir, greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli. Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal. It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it. The price of wisdom is far above rubies. Precious peridot from Ethiopia cannot be exchanged for it. It’s worth more than the purest gold.”
“But do people know where to find wisdom? Where can they find understanding? It is hidden from the eyes of all humanity. Even the sharp-eyed birds in the sky cannot discover it. Destruction and Death say, ‘We’ve heard only rumors of where wisdom can be found.’
“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
Talk about the patience of Job! Few things are more frustrating than enduring lectures on subjects in which one is expert from amateurs who feel qualified to speak out of a minimum of experience coupled with sheer ignorance. For days, perhaps even weeks or months, Job has sat scratching himself with a broken piece of pottery as these men have orated at great length about a God whom Job knows better than they do and life events that they have never truly encountered. One wonders if Job was ever tempted to go off by himself and scream in frustration.
Those who have divided the Book of Job into chapters have divided Job’s response to his friends into Chapters 26-31, but originally this was all one speech. Here Job describes the scarcity of true wisdom and gives a fascinating picture of ancient mining practices in the process. While Job is avowing that wisdom is more precious than any precious stones or metal, he describes miners sinking mine shafts, cutting tunnels in the rock, descending into the earth on ropes, and even diverting streams to expose hidden mineral treasures. In the process, Job mentions gold and silver, particularly the gold of Ophir, precious onyx, lapis lazuli, crystal, coral, jasper, rubies, and precious peridot from Ethiopia.
Even in Job’s day, traders roamed throughout Europe, the Mideast, Africa, India, and Asia to bring back treasures; yet, God’s wisdom is so precious that none of this wealth can purchase even a single bit of it. Not only is God’s wisdom priceless, but we can only receive true wisdom from God.
“God alone understands the way to wisdom; he knows where it can be found, for he looks throughout the whole earth and sees everything under the heavens. He decided how hard the winds should blow and how much rain should fall. He made the laws for the rain and laid out a path for the lightning. Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it. He set it in place and examined it thoroughly. And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’”
These days, AI, artificial intelligence, and other computer-generated writing has become popular. But before buying into computer-generated matter wholesale, it’s wise to remember a phrase from 40 years ago-GIGO-Garbage In, Garbage Out. Computers are only as wise as those who feed them information in the first place. I struggle with the grammar “corrections” generated by AI on a daily basis, and I find some of its suggestions grammatically incorrect. (Example: Regarding commas, I was taught “when in doubt, leave it out.” But AI LOVES commas and inserts them as frequently as possible!) Those programming the AI have never encountered some of the expressions I use, for much of my speech has been gained by sayings I learned from my parents and grandparents. Reliance on AI can reduce a vivid piece of writing into tasteless blandness and possibly untruths as well.
We need God’s wisdom far more than we do artificial intelligence, for God is real, and AI can be faulty. AI also reflects the particular views of those programming it-a potentially dangerous or even lethal phenomenon. Even so-called facts checkers have been found to be pursuing philosophical agendas of their own, and there have been questions raised about foreign powers manipulating American social media to skew elections. Why trust human beings who may have hidden agendas when we can trust the One True Living God, who is all-knowing? May God help us to rely on His wisdom above all else!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to trust You above all else and to rely on Your wisdom, rather than on computer-generated opinions. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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